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The 10th anniversary celebration of the Nagoya International Center was held this month in a spacious hotel room in downtown Nagoya. One of the two men wearing white flower badges seated on the platform on one side of the room was the Center's chairman. Five men with red flower badges included the mayor of Nagoya, the chairman of the city council and representatives of the foreign minister and the prefectural governor. Each of these honored guests gave a congratulatory speech. A group of about two dozen men with pink flower badges were seated on both sides of the platform facing the audience. These representives of various countries, political parties or other organizations were introduced but made no speeches. Immediately in front of the platform, on chairs facing the platform, men and women with yellow flower badges sat. These Supervisors, Steering Committee members and representatives of volunteer groups were presented with Certificates of Appreciation. As the sole foreign member of the Steering Committee, I also wore a yellow flower badge and received a large, framed certificate along with another large gift that I had difficulty carrying back home on my bicycle following the reception, at which some 500 people enjoyed eating and talking. -------The Japanese word 'kaori' may be translated by a number of English words each of which have a slightly different nuance. They include: smell, scent, odor, aroma, fragrance, perfume and stench. In the Old Testament, incense was offered to God because it had a sweet smell which was believed to please God. The 12th chapter of the Gospel of John includes the story of a lady who poured expensive perfume on Jesus' feet and the "sweet smell of the perfume filled the whole house" [3]. In the last verses of the 2nd chapter of his Second Letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul compares the Christian message to sweet-smelling aroma which Christians should be spreading throughout the world. In these verses, the Japanese word 'kaori' is used four times, while a modern English translation makes use of such terms as "fragrance", "incense" and "stench". Ideally, Christians sould be exuding a pleasing spiritual aroma in society by their attitudes, words and actions which issue from a spirit of love, but a perverted sense of smell on the part of some may consider this an offensive odor instead. These words of the Apostle should cause us to reflect on the kind of influence our lives have on those around us. -------I'm sure you are acquainted with bonsai. It has been described as "the art of raising miniature trees in shallow pots". As with much of Japanese culture, this art also has its roots in China. The English word "miniature", spelled m-i-n-i-a-t-u-r-e, is rooted in a Latin word meaning "red lead" or "vermilion". Before the advent of printing, manuscripts were written by hand. In fact, "manuscript" itself comes from Latin words meaning "hand" and "write". At that time, manuscript headings were often printed in red to distinguish them from the black text. The first letter of the more elaborate illuminated manuscripts contained a small picture and the Latin word, minitura, came to refer to that small colored picture or letter. It was in this way that the English word "miniature", derived from the Latin word for "vermilion", came to mean someting very small. -------A cube is a solid object with six equal, square sides and cubism is a style of modern art that uses cubes and other abstract geometric forms in its pictorial representations. The best-known artist of this school of art was Pablo Picasso, who was born in Spain 113 years ago today, on October 25, 1881. To truly appreciate the art of Picasso requires the ability to view it with the mind rather than simply with the eye and I seem to lack this ability. What about you? Do you enjoy modern art? If not, what kind of art do you prefer? What kind of music do you enjoy? Do you ever paint? Have you ever played a musical instrument? How do you compare the art, music and architecture of the Orient with that of the Occident? We will be talking about "fine arts" at the meeting of listeners to / readers of these telephone messages to be held this coming Sunday at 1:30 at the Nagoya City Geijutsu Sozo Center near Shinsakaemachi and we would be happy to hear your comments on this theme. My wife will serve refreshments as usual and the current issue of '"Daily Word" Echoes', consisting of corrected essays of "Daily Word" fans, will be on sale. Following that meeting, I will preach at the English language worship service of Nagoya Union Church and you are invited to both of these meetings. -------The word "eerie", spelled e-e-r-i-e, signifies something fearful, uncanny or weird. Another "Erie", spelled E-r-i-e, is the name of one of the Great Lakes forming part of the national border between the United States and Canada. This name comes from the name of a native American tribe, meaning "cat". On October 26, 1825, 169 years ago today, the Erie Canal was opened. This artificial waterway through New York State was a remarkable engineering feat that linked Lake Erie with the Hudson River and thus to the Atlantic Ocean. Some 580 kilometers long, it includes over 50 locks to compensate for the 174 meter difference between the level of the lake and the river. In its early days, barges were pulled along the canal by horses as well as by steamboats. It became an important spur to the development of many communities along its route and was a financial success until railroads diminished its advantage. As a part of the New York State Barge Canal, it is now used mostly by pleasure boats. You are invited to attend the meeting of listeners to and/or readers of these "Daily Word" messages at the Nagoya City Geijutsu Sozo Center on Sunday afternoon at 1:30. -------One hundred and thirty-six years ago today, on October 27, 1858, the man who became the youngest president in the history of the United States of America was born in New York City. Handicapped in his childhood by asthma and poor eyesight, he engaged in strenuous body-building activities and later became well-known for his aggressiveness in both the political and military arenas. In fact, he resigned as Secretary of the Navy to take an active part in the fighting during the Spanish-American War and became the leader of a cavalry troop known as the Rough Riders, which became the title of a book he wrote about his experiences. He was the vice-president when President William McKinley was assassinated in 1901 and, at 42 years of age, became his successor. As president, he advocated various social reforms and his foreign policy toward Latin American countries was symbolized by his famous dictum:"Speak softly and carry a big stick." His name was Theodore Roosevelt. On Sunday afternoon at 1:30 at the Nagoya City Geijutsu Sozo Center, another meeting of "Daily Word" fans will be held and you are invited to attend. We will be talking about "fine arts" and enjoy my wife's homemade refreshments. -------The copies of these telephone messages which are sent out weekly to those who request them are printed in roman type sans serif. "Serif", spelled s-e-r-i-f, denotes the tiny horizontal lines or hooks extending from the top or bottom of most letters printd in roman type and "sans serif" means letters without serifs. Roman letters are written in an upright style, which is different from italics, in which the letters slant to the right. In English, italics are often used for foreign word or for emphasis. Both the roman and italic styles are derived from the writing style of ancient Romans and Italian scribes. Roman numerals, made up of the seven capital letters I, V, X, L, C, D and M, are only used in these messages after the names of some kings, queens or popes. The more convenient Arabic numbers, consisting of ten different symbols, are more commonly used. At the end of this message the number 4770 is included in parentheses, indicating that it is the 4770th different message to be transmitted since this service began in 1980. In Roman numerals it would be: MMMMDCCLXX. A meeting of listeners to and/or readers of these "Daily Word" messages will be held on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 at the Nagoya City Geijutsu Sozo Center. Join us there if you can. This is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------On our hitchhiking trip from Chicago to Mexico City, we started out on the well-known national highway #66, which runs from Chicago, Illinois to Los Angels, California. We took that highway as far as 67, which goes south into the state of Arkansas. It was in the vicinity of St. Louis that we were in a gas station in the evening when a car stopped to get gas. A couple were in the front seat and the husband, who was driving, asked the attendant the direction to a certain city. When the attendant answered, the wife began scolding her husband for making a wrong turn which had resulted in their travelling many miles in the wrong direction. Since the city they were going was in the direction we were headed, we asked whether we could tide along with them, but they were both in a bad mood then and our request was refused. We got a ride in another car, however, and spent that first night somewhere--I forget where, but the next morning, we got a ride into the town of Hoxie, Arkansas. I well remember the name of this little town for it was there that we spent almost the entire day soliciting a ride. Since no car stopped for us in the business area, we walked through the town to the outskirts and spent many hours of a hot day in that one, small southern town. -------Some twenty years ago, I was one of the onlookers at the Ise Inner Shrine when the sacred object of worship was transferred from the old shrine to the old shrine to the new one in the darkness of night. I am reminded of that experience when I read the beginning of chapter 8 of the Old Testament book of I Kings, which tells of the transfer of the sacred Covenant Box from the old Tent to the new Temple which King Solomon had erected. This Covenant Box was placed in the Temple's Holy of Holies. Although it was not an object of worship (since worship must be offered to God alone), it was the most sacred object in the Jewish religious tradition. According to verse 9, "There was nothing inside the Covenant Box except the two stone tablets which Moses had placed there at MountSinai, when the Lord made a covenant with the people of Israel as they were coming from Egypt. " At Mount Sinai, through Moses, God made a covenant with the Israelites symbolized by the Ten Commandments which were written on these two stone tablets. This Box was a reminder that God speaks to people and in many Christian churches today, an open Bible occupies a central place, symbolizing the truth that God continues to speak today to those whose ears are open to hear the divine message. -------This 31st day of October is observed as an austere religious occasion in some Europian countries when prayers are offered at the graves of deceased relatives and friends. In the traditional church calender, it is the day before All Saint's Day, in honor of all the saints. An old English word for a saint was "hallow", spelled h-a-l-l-o-w and the day before All Hallows' Day came to be known as All Hallows Eve, or Halloween. In the British isles and the United States, strange stories and superstitious customs related to witches, ghosts, fortune-telling and pranks associated with Halloween are rooted in pre-Christian traditions of Celtic communities in Scotland and ireland. In the Celtic calender, today was the last day of the year, when it was believed spirits of the dead returned for a visit and would play tricks on the living if they were not appeased. -------The theme for Sunday's meeting of "Daily Word" fans was: "Fine Arts". As I noted in my talk, there are many different meanings of the word "fine", including: of superior quality, very small in size, free from impurities, very sharp, showing workmanship of great care and delicacy, characterized by refinement or elegance, and in satisfactory health. Thus I may say that I am feeling fine on this fine day as I drink fine tea from a fine china cup in a fine room. There are also many different kinds of "arts". Most general universities have a department of liberal arts, which include such subjects as languages, history and philosophy. The department of fine arts, on the other hand, includes such fields as music, painting, sculpture and architecture. Tuesday messages for six weeks beginning today will include themes for those who wish to write essays in English which I correct and print in the periodical, '"Daily Word" Echoes'. The theme for today is: Fine Arts. Which of the fine arts do you enjoy? Do you have favorite musical compositions, paintings, sculptures or architectural styles? Have you had attended musical concerts or art exhibits, or participated in singing or painting yourself? I and others would be happy to read your opinions or memories related to this theme. This is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------Another controversial book related to the domestic disharmony in Britain's royal family is attracting attention beyond the shores of that island nation. As people read this new "authorized biography" of Prince Charles, they should reconsider the problems that accompany being born into or marrying into a "royal family" and seriously think about the basis for a happy married life. External pressure, political or economic considerations are not conducive to a genuinely happy, long-lasting marriage. Another example of this fact may be found in the experience of Marie Antoinette, who was born into the royal family of Austria on November 2, 1755, 239 years ago today. To strengthen the political ties between Austria and France, at the age of 15, she was married to the French dauphin, who became King Louis XVI four years later. From the beginning, it was an unhappy union and Marie fostered the disapproval of the common people by her life of pleasure and extravagance, but the famous remark, when told that the peasants had no bread, to "Let them eat cake" was falsely attributed to her. During the French Revolution, she followed her husband to the guillotine for execution in 1793, when she was 38 years old. -------This 3rd day of November is a Japanese holiday called 'Bunka no Hi'. Previously, it was called 'Meiji Setsu' and before that it was known as 'Tencho Setsu', but whatever its name, I am sure that most people are happy to enjoy a holiday today -- especially since, traditionally, it is said that the weather is fine on this special day. A recent news article noted that a police box in Kobe's Suma Ward is offering a new service to people who have missed the last bus from that area. They are loaning bicycles to those who request them. Policemen noticed that thefts of bicycles were frequent following the departure of the last bus which left at 10 o'clock. Now, that Myodani Chuo Police Box has ten bicycles to loan to people. The bicycles, which have been provided by local security societies, are painted orange so they are easily recognized. The service is free and borrowers are simply required to write their name and address in a log book. The service is offered at anytime, but those who have missed the last bus are especially grateful and most of those who borrow a bike return it the following morning when they go to work. Policemen hope this service will improve communication between the police and residents. -------Yesterday was the final day of the 'Waka-shachi Kokutai' which was held in Aichi Prefecture, but that does not bring an end to the national athletic events held here this season. On Saturday and Sunday of next week, 'Yumepikku Aichi', sports events for the disabled, will be held at five different locations in the Nagoya area. Following the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, the Paralympics were held for those suffering from paralysis and other disabillties. Beginning the next year, National Sports Games for the Disabled were held following the annual 'Kokumin Taiiku Taikai', so this will be the 30th such contest which includes field and track events, swimming, ping-pong and archery for individuals and such team sports as wheelchair basketball, volleyball and softball for the visually impaired. To make these events helpful and encouraging to both the participants and the general public many volunteers are involved and 'fure-ai hiroba' will be held at each of the competition sites. The slogan for this "Dream Olympic Aichi" is 'Anata ga tacchi Kokoro no baton'. Hopefully, it will deepen compassionate understanding of the many problems faced by the disabled on the part of those of us who find it easier to function in our daily lives. -------Hitchhiking from the northeastern corner of Illinois to the Mexican border, we needed to pass through only three other states: Missouri, Arkansas and Texas. I think it was after we entered Texas that I hung a simple sign around my neck on which were printed the words: "Mexico or Bust". The word "bust" has different meanings and can be used as a noun, a transitive verb, but I really didn't think much about the grammatical usage when I made the sign. I expected drivers to understand where we were headed and that we were determined to get there (otherwise we would burst, or die trying). Interestingly enough, the driver that picked us up was a Mexican who didn't understand English well and as soon as I had sat down, he asked the meaning of "boost". The word "Mexico" had attracted his attention because that was where he was going, but he didn't understand the meaning of the rest of the sign. I had a somewhat difficult time explaining the meaning of that figurative phrase in my limited Spanish. This man was driving one van and pulling a second one behind, which his young son was steering. He was taking the extra van back to Mexico to resell there. My friend got it in the second van, so we each had an opportunity to practice our Spanish separately, but I think my conversation with the father was the more interesting one. -------In the 17th chapter of the New Testament book, The Acts of the Apostles, the famous sermon of the Apostle Paul in the Greek city of Athens is recorded. Walking through that city, Paul had found an altar on which it was written "To an Unknown God". In his sermon, Paul proceeded to explain about the God he believed in to those philosophy-loving Greeks to whom the Biblical God was unknown. He informed them that this God was the creator of all and could not be represented by a material image because God was a spiritual being. Christian missionaries continue to take the message of this "unknown God" to the world, but we must be careful of our attitude in thus witnessing to our faith in the light of Jesus' words to narrow-minded religious zealots of his day. To those who prided themselves in being the children of Abraham and who knew well the Old Testament writings, he said, in John 8:54-55: "You have never known" "the very one you say is your God." It is possible for Jews, Muslims and Christians to follow accepted rituals, to know the Bible and to be well acquainted with the details of doctrine but still not to know God in the true sense. According to the First Letter of John, the way we show that we know God and are a child of God is by showing love to those around us. -------There are two different English words pronounced forward. The one spelled f-o-r-w-o-r-d may be an adjective meaning near the front, an adverb meaning toward the front, a noun denoting a basketball or football player who is on the front line of offence or defence, or a verb meaning to help advance or promote or to send on to another address. The other word, which is spelled with an "e" following the first "r", is a noun signifying the preface or introductory note at the beginning of a book. The "preface" or "introduction" of a book, however, is usually written by the author, while a "foreward" is usually written by someone else. In Japanese, the word maegaki may be used to translate any of these prefatory terms. An atogaki, which is the opposite of maegaki, is the postscript written by the author at the end of a book or letter. -------One of the characteristic decorations seen in Japan are the paneled cloth curtains hanging at the entrance of certain eating places and some other shops. Called 'noren', they are sometimes used as room dividers in homes as well. These short drapes are a common sight in Japan and even though 'noren' is a common word, I presume that many well-educated Japanese would not be able to write this word in Chinese characters, which literally mean "warm blind". 'Noren' is the theme suggested for those who wish to write a short English essay for the next issue of '"Daily Word" Echoes'. What do you consider to be the purpose of 'noren'? Why are they used at only certain commercial establishments? Do you have any 'noren' hanging in your home? Have you lived in a home where they were used? Do you have any special memories related to 'noren' or do you know any interesting stories about them? If you send me an essay on this theme, it will not be a waste of time ('noren ni ude-oshi), for I will correct it and print it in the 'Echoes', scheduled for publication on January 29, 1995. If you keep a copy of your manuscript, you may note the changes I have made when you read it in the periodical. This is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------Many of the old, traditional ways of doing things have become outmoded in this modern age of automation. Having heard reports of taped Buddhist sutras being played from a machine at memorial services instead of calling a priest, I was not surprised to read that an automated fortuneteller has now been developed. This new machine was tested at Space World, a theme park in Kitakyushu, and proved popular among park visitors. The machine is said to tell people's character and fortune by analyzing facial features using a computer and a camera. The machine inputs the user's facial features into a computer system through a special kind of camera and provides financial and love fortunes on the basis of the analysis. That analysis is then printed out along with a picture of the person. The producer suggests that couples can use the machine to find out if they would be good partners. Automated fortunetellers are priced at ¥4.5 million, but they can also be rented. I presume that people who believe in the power of the head of a sardine to scare away evil spirits may believe in the ability of such an automated machine to tell their fortune, but I prefer to put my faith in a higher Power, who both created and controls the world and has a meaningful plan for every human life. -------In yesterday's message, I made reference to "the head of a sardine". Of course, this was related to the well-known Japanese saying 'Iwashi no kashira mo shinjun kara'. It is interesting to read how such traditional sayings are translated into other languages. One English-Japanese dictionary gives "Faith will move a mountain", derived from a saying of Jesus, as the English equivalent of this adage. Another saying related to the head of a sardine is 'Iwashi no kashira to naru yori wa tai no o ni tsuke', which implies that it is better to be an unimportant part of something valuable or respected than an important part of something not so great. The dictionary gives the English equivalent of this saying as: "Choose rather to be the tail of a lion than the head of a fox". It is interesting to note that English sayings normally give the opposite implication. We say, "Better be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion" or "Better be the head of the yeomanry than the tail of the gentry". In other words, it is better to hold a high position at a low level than to hold a low position at a high level. Which of these two possibilities is considered preferable depends not only upon the society in which one exists but on one's personal character and outlook as well. -------In odd-numbered months from January to September, the days having the same number as the month are traditional festival days in Japan--New Year's Day, Girls' Festival, Boys' Festival, Tanabata and the Chrysanthemum Festival, but this 11th day of the 11th month is a national holiday in the United States and some other Western countries. When I was a child, it was called Armistice Day, commemorating the armistice that ended the First World War at 11:00 a.m. on November 11, 1918. In some of the countries whose soldiers died in that war, it is called Remembrance Day and ceremonies are held to remember those who died. Two years after the end of the war, on November 11, an eternal flame was lit over the tomb of an unknown soldier under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris which continues to burn today. A year later, on the same day, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was established in Arlington National Cemetery in the United States. In 1954, the name of this holiday was changed to Veterans Day in the U.S. to honor all veterans who served in the armed forces during other wars as well as the First World War. Remembering past wars, we should strengthen efforts for peace. -------On our hitchhiking trip to Mexico in 1946, my friend and I were very happy to be picked up in Texas by a Mexican man and his son who were on their way to Mexico City, which was also our destination. We arrived at the city of Laredo, on the American side of the Rio Grande River, the boundary between the United States and Mexico, in the evening, so we spent the night in a lodging place there. Mexcico City lies over 800 kilometers further south and it was with keen anticipation that we crossed the river in the morning to begin the final leg of our journey. I was especially excited to enter a foreign country for the first time in my life. We were disappointed, however, to be informed by Mexican immigration officials that the two of us needed to produce a ticket either on a bus or an airplane to show that we had transportation to Mexico City. We told them that we were riding with Mr. Garcia, but they refused to accept that explanation even though Mr. Garcia was there to confirm it. Privately, Mr. Garcia told us the officials were hoping for a bride, but we did not offer one. If my memory is correct, we had to go back across the bridge into Texas and then cross again into Mexico. Anyway, we ended up taking a bus to Mexico City, but we visited the Garcias in their home after we arrived there. -------The New Testament Gospel of John includes a long discourse of Jesus following his last supper with his disciples. At the beginning of chapter 14, he tried to calm their fears about the future, following his imminent departure. He encouraged them to believe in God and to believe also in him. Undeniably, faith has a calming effect upon a person -- even if it is an irrational faith. But faith is not necessarily irrational or illogical. In fact, all healthy human beings have faith in something or someone. Even professed atheists have a faith. They believe there is no God. It is the content of one's faith which distinguishes "believers" from one another rather than its presence or absence. Jesus informed his disciples that he was going to prepare a place for them in his "Father's house" where there were many rooms, or dwelling places, and that they would eventually join him there. Although we cannot scientifically prove (or disprove) the existence of a spiritual realm beyond the physical world where spirits go after death, this is a common teaching of many religions. Christians find comfort in the teaching of Jesus that there is room, a place he has prepared for them, in heaven, the Father's house, where they will enjoy fellowship with him forever. -------There are three different English words pronounced pound, spelled p-o-u-n-d. One is a verb meaning to strike with a heavy blow. Another is a noun denoting the enclosure where stray dogs are kept. The third is a unit of weight or of currency. The correct answer to the trick question "Which is heavier, a pound of feathers or a pound of gold?" is "a pound of feathers" for feathers and gold are weighted by different standards. In "troy weight", used by jewelers and pharmacists, there are 12 ounces, or 5760 grains, in a pound. In the more widely used "avoirdupois weight", there are 16 ounces, or 7000 grains, in a pound. The slashed capital L used as the symbol for a pound sterling comes from the Latin word libra, which also meant "pound", as does the abbreviation "lb". Originally, the monetary pound sterling was the weight of one pound of silver sterling. -------Today, November 15th, is the traditional day to take children to the shrine for a ceremony. As you know, the special celebration is for children aged seven, five and three. How would you explain this traditional ritual to a foreigner? What is its purpose and why is it designated for children of those particular ages? In the Orient, odd numbers, which are numbers which cannot be divided by two, are considered lucky. So it is that the traditional festival days are on the days of odd-numbered months when the day and the month are the same number. But in the West also, Shakespeare wrote: "Good luck lies in odd numbers." "They say, there is divinity in odd numbers." (The Merry Wives of Windsor,V,i). Do you have a favorite number? Do you consider odd numbers luckier than even numbers? Are you conscious of the significance of numbers when you buy something, choose a number of things or put a number of items on a dish or in a bowl, etc.? The suggested theme this week for those who wish to write an essay in English is: The 'Shichi-go-san' Festival and Odd Numbers. I and others will be interested to read what you think about either or both of these subjects. Send essays for correction and publication in 'Daily Word Echoes' to: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------As a noun, the word "blue" denotes a color, like that of a clear sky. As an adjective, however, it may have different meanings, including "gloomy or depressed". A person who feels depressed or unhappy my be said to be suffering the "blues", which is a shortened form of "blue devils". "Blues" later came to be used for a particular kind of American Negro folk song with a slow rhythm, minor harmony and melancholy words. This musical expression which evolved from the sorrowful experiences of African-Americans became the heart of the music known as jazz, which has been called "America's outstanding contribution to the art of music". Today, November 16th, is the 119th anniversary of the man who has been called "the father of the blues". William Christopher Handy, who became a songwriter and band leader, was born in Florence, Alabama on this day in 1873. He began his musical career singing in the choir of the Methodist church of which his father was the minister. He was largely self-taught and played the cornet in a minstrel show before organizing small bands of his own. Handy composed a number of songs in the style of the blues, the most famous of which is the classic 'St. Louis Blues'. -------As students of English are deeply aware, the pronunciation and spelling of English words are irregular and confusing. One example is the word pronounced 'Kapitl', which may be spelled c-a-p-i-t-'a'-l or c-a-p-i-t-'o'-l. One of the meanings of the word ending in 'a'-l is the city where the seat of government is located, while the word ending in 'o'-l signifies the building in which a state legislature assembles. The capital of the United States of America is Washington D.C. and the central building in the city is the U.S. Capitol. It was 194 years ago today, on November 17, 1800 that the United States Congress met in the unfinished Capitol in the capital for the first time. Until then, Congress had met in various cities, including Philadelphia and New York. The cornerstone of the Capitol had been set seven years earlier by President George Washington who also chose the site. Various additions and alterations of the original structure have been made over the years and now the Senate and the House of Representatives meet in the north and south wings respectively. In the Capitol, there is a special room off the rotunda where members of Congress may pray and meditate. In it there is an open Bible with a seven-branched candelabra on both sides beneath a stained glass window of George Washington kneeling in prayer. -------The light and warmth of the sun are indispensable for life as we know it and the sun has been an object of worship for generations of Japanese. Radiation from the sun, however, may cause skin cancer. The ozone layer in the atmosphere blocks this dangerous radiation, but compounds used in aerosol sprays and refrigerants cause a reduction of this protective ozone. Recently a skin cancer specialist from Australia visited Japan to request Japanese help in solving this global problem. He told of the campaign in his homeland urging people to cover exposed skin under the catch phrase of "slip, slop, slap", which, he explained, means to "slip" on a long-sleeved shirt, "slop" on some sun cream and "slap"on a hat when going out into the sun. Although people with lighter skin are more susceptible to skin cancer, as a part of the "global village", Japan should join the effort to reduce the use of products that damage the ozone layer. You may receive a written copy of these of telephone messages before they are spoken by sending a self-adddressed, stamped envelope plus ¥30 in stamps for each week of messages desired to: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Posst Office, Nagoya 463. Japanese translations are also available. -------During the six weeks I stayed in Mexico City, I lived in the finest area of the city in the beautiful home of the university student I had tutored in the United States. His father, whom I almost never saw, was a lawyer. His mother was an elegant lady who did not speak English. His sister, who had also just spent a year at an American university, had invited a friend of hers to visit, so there were two of us guests from the United States there at that summer. I spoke American English with a midwestern accent and she spoke with a southern drawl. The tasty Mexican food was prepared by a cook and a maid and gardener kept the house in good order. Surprisingly, the boy who invited me to be his guest was seldom at home, so usually I was the only male present--at mealtimes and at other times. On weekdays, I took a crowded bus to the University of Mexico where I attended three classes in advanced Spanish. Of course, Spanish was also spoken in the home to the mother and the domestic help, so my understanding of that language made good progress. Since coming to Japan, however, I have made no use of Spanish and have forgotten most of what I once knew, confirming the proverb that "Iron not used soon rusts". -------Samaria was an ancient district of Palestine locate between Judea and Galilee. In Jesus' day, it was populated by the descendants of mixed marriages between Jews and Gentiles whose religion was also a mixture of Jewish and non-Jewish elements. For this reason, many "pure" Jews of Judea and Galilee despised Samaritans and preferred to make a detour around their district rather than passing through it. Jesus refused to follow such discriminatory practices. He not only purposely went through Samaria, he spent time there teaching them about the true God and genuine worship. One of the important commandments of the Old Testament was to "love your neighbour as you love yourself" [Levitics 19:18]. In response to the question "Who is my neighbour? Jesus told the famous parable recorded in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 10, about a man who had been attacked by robbers and left to die along the roadside. Two Jewish religious functionaries, one by one, passed by the poor man without helping him, but a Samaritan showed him great mercy. From this parable, the term "Good Samaritan" has become a common expression for a compassionate person who unselfishly helps others. In the present "global village" in which all people are neighbors, there is a crying need for more Good Samaritans. -------The Japanese word ji-pan does not denote a kind of bread, but a kind of wearing apparel which is popular these days among young people in particular. This peculiar Japanese term was created from two English words: "jeans" and "pants", but the word commonly used by Americans for those pants is simply "jeans". If they have rivets at the corners of the pockets, they may be called "Levis", after a San Francisco clothing merchant during Gold Rush days, Levi Strauss, who added them to keep pockets from tearing when they were loaded with samples of ore. The word "jeans" comes from the Italian town of Genoa, where the strong, twilled cotton fabric was originally woven. Another word for the same material, "denim", is derived from the French city of Nimes. Actually, this is a shortened form of serge de Nimes, or "cloth of Nimes". -------Looking at the traditional Japanese almanac, I find that today, November 22nd, is the beginning of the 'shosetsu', or "little snow", season. Consequently, I have decided on the theme of "snow" for those who wish to write an English essay for our little periodical, '"Daily Word" Echoes'. After a heavy snow, the whole world looks pure and beautiful, but that pretty scene usually doesn't last for very long. Snow may be pretty to look at, but it may also cause much trouble for residents and travelers. Hal Borland has written: "A snowdrift is a beautiful thing -- if it doesn't lie along the path you have to shovel or block the road that leads to your destination." What do you think of snow? Do you like it or dislike it? Why? Have you had any memorable experiences related to snow? What is your feeling when you view a snowy landscape? Have you participated in or viewed any sports that require snow? Have you ever been to the snow festival in Sapporo? Did you enjoy playing in the snow in your childhood? Do you think there was more snow when you were a child than today? I will correct the essays of those who send copies to me and print them in the January 29 issue of the 'Echoes'. This is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya, 463. -------Today, November 23rd, is a Japanese holiday called Labor Thanksgiving Day. It is the traditional day for the 'niinamesai' ritual in which the emperor makes an offering of newly-harvested rice to the 'kami' of heaven and earth. It is also the 190th anniversary of the birth of the 14th president of the United States who was born in the state of New Hampshire in 1804. Franklin Pierce followed in his father's footsteps to become an important political figure in the Democratic Party. When he was only 25 years old, he was elected to the New Hampshire state legislature in the same election in which his father was reelected governor of the state. Within two years, Franklin had become speaker of the legislature and was later elected to the U. S. Congress, first as a representative and then as a senator. Under the prodding of his wife, who suffered from tuberculosis and who disliked the political and social atmosphere of Washington, he resigned from the Senate and returned to New Hampshire, where he established a successful business as a lawyer. At the Democratic Convention of 1852, he was nominated as a dark-horse compromise candidate on the 49th ballot. He became president by a lop-sided vote in the electoral college where he received 254 votes to 42 for his Whig Party opponent. -------National holidays in Japan are all designated according to date--a definite day of a certain month. Thus yesterday, Nobember 23rd, was Labor Thanksgiving Day. In the United States, a number of holidays are designated according to the day of the week rather than a particular date and since legal holidays are determined by the individual states, not all holidays are observed nationally. A couple of weeks ago, some states oberved a holiday or a half holiday on Election Day to enable voters to go to polling places to vote. In the U.S., elections are not held on Sundays. The Tuesday after the first Monday in November has been designated as General Election Day. Today, the fourth Thursday of November, is a holiday observed by all fifty states. This Thanksgiving Day has been obeserved in one way or another on one day or another ever since the first European settlements were established on the North American continent in the early part of the 17th century. In 1863, President Lincoln invited his "fellow citizens in every part of the United States" to observe "the last Thursday of November as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens", but in 1941, the day of the observance was changed to the fourth Thursday of November. -------Since beginning this "Daily Word" telephone service over 14 years ago, I have often been forced to recognize my fallibility as I or others found mistakes in the messages I composed. In the November 7th message, I made a particularly foolish mistake which I presume many listeners or readers noticed, but I did not--even after printing the message and reading it on the telephone. I was informed of the mistake in a postcard received from a "Daily Word" listener in Yokohama, mailed the following day. In the postcard, he mentioned that he was struggling daily in his study of English and was "relieved to know that even a well educated American would make such a mistake". I am happy that my mistake brought him some relief and I hope it will remind all listeners and readers of these messages of the sayings that "To err is human" and that "Even Homer sometimes nods", which is the English equivalent to 'Kobo nimo fude no ayamari'. In that November 7th message, I spoke of two words pronounced 'forward', but I misspelled both of them. The first should be spelled f-o-r-w-a-r-d and the second should be spelled f-o-r-e-w-o-r-d. I apologize for this oversight which I attribute to my advancing age. -------During my six-week stay in Mexico City 48 years ago, I attended Spanish classes at the University of Mexico on weekdays, but on Sundays, I attended a large church in a downtown area. The building had been built for a Roman Catholic Church many years previously, but when I was there, it was being used by a Presbyterian congregation. Along the walls of the church were a number of small alcoves where statues of saints had previously stood. Since in Reformed theology, all Christians are considered "saints", which originally meant "consecrated to God", and "special saints" are not venerated, those statues had been removed and Bible verses in large letters had been affixed there instead. My friend and I had invited the man who had picked us up while we are hitchhiking to attend church with us sometime. One Sunday evening, he attended that church with his wife. As soon as he sat down and looked around, he was surprised to see the alcoves without the statues of the saints. Before the service began, he asked me in a quiet voice, "Where are all the saints?" My reply was, "You are surrounded by them. They are sitting in the pews all around you." Then I explained to this Roman Catholic couple the Biblical meaning of the word. -------The Old Testament book of Psalms is by far the longest of the 66 books in the Bible. It contains 150 psalms written by various poets under many different circumstances. Because it reflects the honest feelings of the writers -- including faith and doubt, hope and despair, praise and thanksgiving along with laments and curses, it is one of the best-loved books of the Bible. The 126th psalm begins with an expression of joy after the Jews returned to their homeland following years of captivity in a foreign land. Then the mood changes to one of disappointment but ends on a note of hope. The last two verses speak of sowing seed while weeping, but gathering the harvest with joy. This has been and continues to be the experience of many believers. In everyone's life there are periods of sadness and discouragement. It is during such times that the true nature of one's faith is seen. Even when the circumstances are dark and foreboding, the believer continues to sow seed in the hope and expectation that it will bear fruit and that even though they weep as they sow, they believe they will "gather the harvest with joy". According to Psalm 30:5, "Tears may flow in the night, but joy comes in the morning. " -------Many of the peoples of eastern and central Europe are Slavs, including Czechs and Slovaks, Poles and Bulgars, Serbs, Croats and Russians. In the later days of the Roman Empire, many of these Slavs became captives of Germanic tribes and it is from their name that the English word "slave" was derived. You may be surprised to know that the term "vernacular" also is rooted in a Latin word for a native, homeborn slave, as distinguished from a slave acquired by other means. "Vernacular" denotes the native language of a country or the commonly used dialect of an area in distinction from the language of learned scholars or the classical language of earlier times. Listeners to these telephone messages should realize that they are composed and spoken in midwestern American English, which is the vernacular of the United States. -------The autumn season is drawing to a close. During autumn, some people make special trips to certain areas to view the pretty colors of the leaves of certain trees. Because autumn is the season when dead leaves fall off the trees, it is also called "fall". Joyce Kilmer wrote a famous poem called "Trees", which begins with the words: "I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree." The poem ends with these words: "Poems are made by fools like me, but only God can make a tree." The suggested theme for essays this week is: Trees. There are many different kinds of trees in Japan and many more kinds outside of this country. Trees differ depending upon such factors as climate and topography. Are there trees in the neighborhood where you live? If so, what kind are they? What kind of trees do you especially like or dislike and why? Do you have any memories or know any stories related to trees? What are trees good for? Why is it important to replace trees that are cut down and to preserve wooded areas? Essays on this theme sent to me will be corrected and published in the next issue of '"Daily Word" Echoes', scheduled for publication on January 29, 1995. This is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------This last day of November was the first day in the life of the man who became the central figure in English history during the Second World War. If I tell you that his first name was Winston, you should be able to provide his last name, but I wonder if you would pronounce it the way it is spelled. The name of this man who was born on November 30, 1874 and served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1940-45 and 1951-55 is spelled C-h-u-r-c-h-i-l-l. You will notice that there is only one "h" after the second "c", so it seems that his name should be pronounced either Chur-chill or Church-ill rather than Church hill. I'm not sure how he, himself, pronounced it, but I presume that his British pronunciation would be different from my American one. Sir Winston had a remarkable ability to express himself in lucid and memorable English, both in his speeches and his writings. Since some classical English scholars considered it improper to end a sentence with a preposition because that was never done in Latin, Churchill is reported to have written this marginal comment on a state document: "This is the sort of English up with which I will not put." -------Since coming to Japan, I have become a stamp collector -- not of new stamps but of cancelled stamps from countries around the world. Since my sister was a missionary in the former Belgian Congo for many years, I have many stamps from that country and from Zaire, which is its present name. My sister's daughter continues to serve as a missionary there, but she and her husband use the postal service of the neighboring Central African Republic, so I also have many stamps from that country, which is celebrating the 36th anniversary of its proclamation as a republic today. Mixed in with stamps from the Central African Republic are those from the Central African Empire, which was the official name of the country from 1976-1979. During that period, an army colonel who had seized power proclaimed himself emperor until he was overthrown and the name of the country reverted to its former name. Since 1981, the country has been ruled by an army general who, three years ago, announced a move toward multi-party democracy, but little progress has been made in that direction. Most of the inhabitants of the country are subsistence farmers, but cotton and coffee are exported along with diamonds and timber. -------It was just a short news item in the English-language newspaper that caught my attention, but it reminded me of a couple of differences in the customs of Americans and Japanese. For one thing, Americnas are much quicker to file legal suits over minor matters. The article reported that a lady in Pennsylvania had filed a suit against the company that distributed a package of chicken meat and against the supermarket where she had purchased it. According to her claim, when she opened the package at home a couple of days later, she saw the head of a chicken in the package. Not only was she shocked. She became nauseated, passed out and injured herself when she fell down. She is claiming the food company and the supermarket were at fault and caused her injury. Upon reading the article, I was reminded of the shock I have heard some foreigners received when they were eating a Japanese meal at the sight of a fish with the head still attached on the plate in front of them. What it is that shocks people depends upon their personal disposition and education as well as their faith. In some cases, things that ought to shock us no longer do so, for, as Alexander Chase, an American Journalist, has written, "A shocking occurrence ceases to be shocking when it occurs daily." -------One Saturday during my stay in Mexico, I joined a Christian student group on a trip to the 5452 meter high mountain, Popocatepetl. The bus took us to a small level area high up the mountain where we had an hour's free time before an outdoor worship service was scheduled to begin. A friend and I decided to hike up to the lower edge of the snow area which seemed close at hand, so we started off through the trees. The snow was further away than we thought, however, and midway my friend turned back because he was to lead that service and had to be there on time. I told him I would return later and went on by myself. After reaching the snow and throwing a few snowballs on that day in July, I found my way back through the trees that level area, but the bus and students were nowhere to be seen. I didn't understand what had happened, but the place was deserted and there was nothing else to do but to sit and wait. It was a long wait before the bus returned from a higher elevation. The group seemed overjoyed to see me and only later did I understand why. They had planned to hold that service at a different location, but when they realized I was missing, they went up to the winding road, which I had crossed a couple of times, searching for me. If my memory is correct, the service was not held, but they felt their prayers were answered when they found me sitting at the place where we had separated. -------How we view the world of nature depends upon our standpoint, which reflects our personal faith. In this sense, there is no thinking human being who does not have a kind of faith. Some people look at the universe with its amazing orderliness, at the human body with its marvelous functions and at our natural environment and believe that it is simply the result of chance. When I look at the world around me, I perceive so many instances of purposefulness in nature that I cannot agree with the assumption, or faith, that it is the product of happenstance. I feel impelled to believe there is a purposeful Mind behind it all, which is much more satisfying to me than belief in meaningless chance. In the Gospel of Luke, chapter 12, verses 22-31, Jesus encouraged his listeners to look around them, at the birds and flowers, and perceive in their natural behavior and development the influence of a conscientious Creator, whom he called "Father". He taught that a simple faith in this Father in heaven would eliminate the kind of useless worry or anxiety that plaques many people -- not only in his day but in ours as well. If God provides food for the birds and beautiful clothes for the flowers, won't he do the same for people who trust in him? -------The basic monetary unit of the United States and about 20 other countries around the world is the "dollar". This word is rooted in the German word, thal. which means "valley". In the 16th century, a mint that produced silver coins was located in Joachimsthal, or "Joseph's Valley". These coins were originally called Joachimsthalers, which became shortened to thalers and, by way of Dutch, entered English as "dollars". At present, the dollar sign is a capital S with one or two vertical lines running through it. According to one theory, this sign was derived from imposing a capital U on a capital S, signifying U.S., the United States. More probably, however, it comes from the symbol printed on the earlier Spanish dollar, also known as a "piece of eight", which included the figure 8 with lines through it representing the two Pillars of Hercules. -------Do you know how to spell the word "fish"? To illustrate the absurdity of English phonetics, one writer has spelled it g-h-o-t-i --gh as in "rough", o as in "women", and ti as in "nation". As inhabitants of an island nation, it is not surprising that the Japanese people eat much fish. There are many kinds of fish eaten in Japan and many different ways of preparing and serving fish. Some fish which are beautiful to look at are not very tasty. Others which are quite common in appearance are delectable. The final theme suggested for an essay for the 48th issue of '"Daily Word" Echoes' is: Fish. What kind of fish do you prefer? Would you rather eat fish raw or cooked? Have you ever kept or raised fish in your home? Do you know why a fish was one of the earliest Christian symbols or why it has been customary in some Christian countries to eat fish on Fridays, which has been called Fish Day? I will correct those essays sent to me and print them in the January 29th edition of the 'Echoes'. Please send your essays to reach me by Saturday, December 17th. This is: "Daily Word", Post Office Box 30, Moriyama Post Office, Nagoya 463. -------A recent news article noted some "big news in Japan". The article did not refer to the confused political situation in this country nor to a major accident or catastrophe, however. It reported on statistics recently released by the Research Institute of Human Engineering for Quality Life. As a result of a survey in which 178 different body parts of 33,600 people aged 7 to 70 were measured, it was clear that Japanese people are getting bigger. Among those in their 20s who were included in the survey, men were about 1.9 centimeters taller and women about 2.2 centimeters taller than those in the same age group 15 years ago. Men and women in their 40s were 3.5 and 2.7 centimeters taller respectively than their counterparts 15 years ago. The reason for this increase in size was not noted, but the article stated that railways are building trains with wider doors and seats to accommodate larger passengers and construction companies are building homes with higher ceilings and doors. Nowadays, large-bodied foreigners do not feel so conspicuous as in days gone by. We should remember, however, Jesus' words and actions recorded in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 10, verses 13-16, where he made clear that size was not an indication of importance or value. -------A homonym is a word that has the same sound and sometimes the same spelling as another word but with a different meaning. An example, is the word "gin", spelled g-i-n. One kind of gin, rooted in a Latin word for the evergreen tree called juniper, signifies an alcoholic beverage which is made from juniper berries. Another kind of gin is derived from the Latin word for skill, as is the word "engine". It denotes a kind of machine and the particular machine which separates cotton fiber from seeds is called a cotton gin. The invention of the cotton gin, which provides a quick end efficient way to prepare cotton fiber for its transformation into a fabric, marked the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the United States. Eli Whitney, the man who invented this device, was born 129 years ago today, on December 8, 1765 in the U.S. state, or commonwealth, of Massachusetts. From his boyhood, he evidenced a mechanical bent and, in 1793, when asked to invent a cotton gin, he did so after about ten days. The machine he invented had great economic and social effects and brought great wealth to others but, because of patent problems, it did not enrich its inventor. -------As a common noun, the word spelled p-e-t, signifies an animal kept for pleasure or companionship. When spelled with capital letters, it denotes a chemical compound, polyethylene terephthalate, which is used to make lightweight bottles. People concerned about the environment emphasize the benefit of recycling products instead of simply discarding them. As an example of recycling, Japanese clothing makers have begun producing clothes using polyester thread obtained from cut-up and melted PET bottles. According to the makers, cloth made with such thread is light, soft, easy to dye and can be used to make warm clothing. To make an adult-sized jacket requires about 20 PET bottles and the price is about ¥15,000, which is comparable to the cost of other kinds of polyester jackets. Because there is no system for collecting and recycling PET bottles in Japan at the present time, manufacturers must import supplies from the United States. Frugality was a traditional Japanese virtue, but this is not evident among many young people today. According to the Gospel of John, chapter 6, verse 12, after his miraculous feeding of 5000 men, Jesus told his disciples to gather the pieces left over so that nothing would be wasted. -------In Protestant Churches, the religious leader of a local church who is the preacher at the worship service is called a pastor while the person who goes to a foreign country to share his or her faith is called a missionary. Although I know of no pastors among ancestors, I had decided to become a pastor while I was still in elementary school. During my short stay in Mexico following my first year at university, however, my attention was drawn to the needs of people outside of my homeland. Nominally, Mexicans are predominately Roman Catholic, but during my two month visits, I was impressed with many superstitious practices which continued to be followed by the common people. At one church which had a famous image of Mary, the mother of Jesus, I recall seeing pilgrims shuffling along the road on their knees as they approached that church in order to gain blessing as a result of such self-inflicted suffering. In the church itself, I saw worshipers stroke the glass case surrounding the image and then rub their hand on their own bodies to impart some magical benefit--similar to sights I have seen on some Buddhist temple grounds in Japan. I also felt that the nominal faith of these people seemed to have little significance in their daily lives. Thus, it was during my stay in Mexico that I began to consider the possibility of becoming a missionary even though I continued to recognize the need for sincere pastors in the United States. -------According to the Bible, human history has both a beginning and an end. The end of history may be called Judgment day, when God pronounces final, righteous judgment upon all human beings. A medieval Latin hymn about this day, Dies Irae, is traditionally sung at masses for the dead. This Latin term, found in some dictionaries, means "day of wrath". It is derived from the 15th verse of the 1st chapter of the Old Testament book of Zephaniah. There, the "day of the Lord" is described as being a day of wrath, distress, anguish, ruin, devastation, darkness and gloom -- a truly fearful day for ungodly people. But the book of Zephaniah ends on a completely different note. The final section urges people to sing and shout for joy, to rejoice because the Lord is with them and brings victory. The Biblical God both judges sin and wickedness and bestows mercy and salvation depending on the heart and character of human beings. In this Avent Season preceding Christmas, Christians reflect on the meaning of Jesus' birth. Christmas is a season of joy because in Jesus, the Christ, God has come to us, bringing salvation, hope and victory. To the believer, the "day of the Lord" is not a day of wrath, but a day of salvation because of Christmas. In fact, today is the "day of the Lord". -------As I have mentioned in personal notes which usually follow my formal messages, since I came to Japan a round robin letter has circulated among the six siblings of my family. While my younger older sister was a missionary in Zaire, the round robin literally flew around the world. After it arrives we take out our old letter, add a new one and send it on. In this expression "robin" is not related to the bird. It is derived from the French word for "ribbon". Before the French Revolution, monarchs sometimes beheaded the man whose name was first on a list of petitioners requesting changes. To avoid having one name at the head of a list, the names were written on a ribbon which was then joined into a circle so no name was first. "Round robin" may also denote a tournament in which each contestant is matched in turn against every other contestant. -------
According to the Christian Church calendar, we are now in the pre-Christmas season called Advent. This word means "coming" and in this case, refers to the coming, or birth, of Jesus. The Advent Season begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas. One of the favorite Christmas hymns sung during this season, "O Little Town of Bethlehem", was written by Phillips Brooks, who was born 159 years ago today on December 13, 1835. After his graduation from Harvard, he entered the ministry of the Episcopal Church and served in Philadelphia before becoming rector of the Trinity Church in Boston. Through his preaching, lecturing and writing, he became one of the most influential ministers of his time. Two years before his death in 1893, he was consecrated bishop of Massachusetts. A visit he once made on Christmas Eve to the church in Bethlehem, near the place where Jesus was born, became the inspiration for his hymn which begins as follows: Newspapers, magazines and television are means of mass communication, commonly called the "media", one of two plurals of "medium". The influence of the media in today's world is very great. People are stimulated in many ways by the media -- not all of them admirable. Recent research conducted among women students at American universities indicated that many of them felt dissatisfaction with their bodies because of the ultrathin models commonly seen in the media. This has resulted in various kinds of eating disorders and unhealthy dieting. Some young women are afflicted with anorexia nervosa, a pathological loss of appetite, psychological in origin. Others are troubled with bulimia, an illness characterized by overeating followed by self-induced vomiting. Many university codes in the United States seem to feel pressured to conform to the body image they constantly see in the media. If this is so among university women, the stimulation of visual images for children is still greater. For this reason, conscientious parents and teachers try to exercise some control over the kind of material young children see and read. It should also be recognized that there is no one ideal physique for all people because we are all individually different. -------One week after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, President Franklin Roosevelt designated this 15th day of December as Bill of Rights Day. In fact, it was the 150th anniversary of the adoption of the so-called Bill of Rights by the newly-established American republic on December 15, 1791. The democratic concepts embedded in those first ten amendments to the Constitution provided a source of inspiration in the war against the dictatorial Axis powers. It has now become a custom for American presidents and a number of state governors to issue proclamations every year designating this day Bill of Rights Day. The first ten amendments to the Constitution guarantee certain individual and state rights which cannot be ignored by the national government. These days the meaning of rights included in the first two amendments is being debated as a newly-elected Congress is about to be installed. The relation of "freedom of religion" and prayer in public schools, the "right to bear arms" and laws relating to gun control are points at issue. At the heart of democratic ideology is the belief that open and fair discussion by elected representatives will reflect the opinion of the majority of the citizens, but it doesn't always work out that way and, in fact, the majority is not always right. -------Among the famous persons who were born on this 16th day of December were one of the greatest musicians of all time, the German composer, Ludwig van Beethoven, born in 1770, and one of the great masters of the English novel, Jane Austen, born in 1775. On this day in 1863, both the Spanish-born poet and philosopher, George Santayana, who became a professor of philosophy at Harvard, and the American architect, Ralph Adams Cram, an authority on Gothic architecture, first saw the light of day. A Coward was born in England on this day as the 19th century was drawing to a close. His name was Noel Coward and he became a playwright, actor, composer and director. He began his acting career when he was twelve years old and, at times, combined the roles of actor, director and producer of plays or films. He also wrote revues, musical comedies, operettas and 281 songs. On December 16, 1901, Margaret Mead was born in Philadelphia. A student and collaborator of Ruth Benedict, she became an outstanding anthropologist. I'm sure other important and not so important people were also born on this day. Each one has made some kind of contribution to human society and culture, for each person is important. -------The home in which I lived in Mexico City in the summer of 1946 was located in an elite area called Chapultepec, the Aztec word for "grasshopper hill". At the heart of this area was the old castle where Mexican rulers had lived and the park surrounding it. In the center of the city was Constitution Plaza with the National Palace and the main cathedral alongside. But the building which remains most clearly in my memory was the palace of Fine Arts. It was not primarily the architecture of that beautiful building and works of art that were on display there that I recall. It was the fact that the steps that originally went up to the entrance no longer went up but were on a horizontal level. This was because the huge building had been slowly sinking lower and lower into the ground. Much of Mexico City was built on what used to be a lake and as the population has grown, drainage and artesian wells have lowered the water table. As a result, that Palacio de las Belles Artes has sunk over three meters. Whenever I recall that building and the steps around it, I am reminded of the need of a firm foundation on which to build a solid, long-lasting building or a sound human life, as Jesus noted at the end of the 7th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew. -------It is the week before Christmas and even in this nominally Buddhist or Shintoist (but basically religiously indifferent) country of Japan, Christmas is being celebrated in various ways by a variety of groups or business with varying aims. From the Christian viewpoint, it may be said that the meaning of the birth of Jesus, which is the ostensible reason for the celebration, is expressed in the first verses of the New Testament Letter to the Hebrews, which begins with these words: "In the past, God spoke to our ancestors many times and in many ways through the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us through his Son. "A basic characteristic of the God of the Bible is that he is not silent. He is a God who speaks -- but he speaks in a variety of ways. In the Old Testament, he spoke through spokesmen called prophets. But his more complete revelation came not through spoken words but through the life, death and resurrection of his Son, who "reflects the brightness of God's glory and is the exact likeness of God's own being. "In the first chapter of the Gospel of John, it is written that the Word which existed from the beginning became a human being. It is this incarnation of the Word of God that Christians celebrate at Christmas. -------One meaning of the word, "brand", is a particular kind of some commodity, such as a brand of soap. Originally, however, a brand was a distinguishing mark burned into the skin of an animal. Cattle on large ranches could be identified by their brands. In the middle of the 19th century, a Texan named Samuel Maverick did not think it necessary to brand his cattle because they were pastured on an island, but sometimes they wandered through the water onto ranches of neighbors, who began to call unbranded cattle "mavericks". In the 1880s, this word acquired a political connotation as it was applied to politicians who did not acknowledge any party leadership. Now, any independent-minded person who refuses to abide by the dictates of a group may be called a maverick, spelled m-a-v-e-r-i-c-k. Needless to say, it is difficult to be a maverick in Japanese society. -------Rachel Chandler is an 11-year-old seventh-grader who lives in Roanoke, Virginia in the United States. Wondering about the meaning of life and what it takes to succeed, she first asked her parents. "Understanding the value of family", her mother replied. "Perseverance", responded her father. Then she decided to ask other people she admired. As a Girl Scout project last spring, she wrote letters to 25 people requesting their opinions. Then she broadened the scope of her letter-writing campaign, eventually writing to nearly 200 people, including such well-known figures as President and Mrs. Clinton, Mother Teresa, South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and television and movie personalities. More than half of the celebrities sent autographed photographs along with their words of wisdom. One romance writer sent her a five-page letter and an autographed copy of her best seller but cautioned her to obtain her parent's approval before she read it. I presume that Rachel came to realize that famous people are not essentially different than common people and that their advice differed depending upon their own personality, experience and faith. Finally, each of us must choose our own values for ourselves and that choice will reflect our own faith. -------As a common noun, the word "pilgrim", spelled p-i-l-g-r-i-m, is rooted in a Latin word meaning "foreigner". It means traveler, especially one who travels to a holy place. When spelled with a capital P, it denotes one of the particular band of travelers from England who journeyed to America in the 17th century seeking religious freedom. The Pilgrims arrived in what is the present commonwealth of Massachusetts 364 years ago today, on December 21, 1620. In some New England communities, today is celebrated as Forefathers' Day. Because of their dissatisfaction with the established Church of England, the Pilgrims had earlier left England for Holland, but in order to establish a completely new community based on their beliefs they made the voyage to the New World. The firm faith of these Pilgrim Fathers had a strong influence on subsequent American thought and tradition. According to the New Testament book of Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 13, all people with a healthy faith are like pilgrims in a foreign land who are on the way to a better place they consider their true homeland. With this faith, they hopefully, expectantly travel on despite discouragements. -------Glands are organs in our bodies that produce various kinds of secretions. The Chinese character for "gland" is composed of the radical meaning "meat"(nikuzuki) and "spring" (izumi) and pronounced 'sen'. The largest glandular organ in human bodies is the liver or 'kanzo'. Among other functions, the liver filters harmful substances from the blood. A recent survey on the health of Japanese workers indicated that one-fourth of them are suffering from liver problems. The Japan Hospital Association analyzed data on 1.78 million working adults who received thorough medical examinations at 660 hospitals in 1993. More than two-thirds of those receiving checkups were in their 40s and 50s and only 18 percent of the total number were found to be completely healthy. About eight out of ten patients suffered from some kind of ailment and liver problems ranked at the top of the list. More men than women have liver problems, which are largely caused by excessive drinking and eating. Another word for "liver" in Japanese is 'kimo' and there are a number of interesting Japanese expressions using that word. The liver is an important organ in the body and the health of the liver depends on the lifestyle of the liver. -------The name of my eldest sister is Carol, which is a shortened form of Caroline, which is the feminine form of Charles in Italian. As a common noun, however, a carol is a song of joy or praise, especially one sung at Christmas. Carol may also be used as a verb, meaning to sing in a joyous manner or to go from house to house singing Christmas songs. In my hometown when I was young, it was the custom for groups of singers to go caroling at Christmas. Although many young people were included in these groups of carolers, older people also took part. It was usually quite cold those last weeks of the year and often there was snow on the ground so the carolers had to dress appropriately to keep warm. Sometimes we caroled in a public place, on a street corner or in a shopping area where many people would gather to listen. We also sang outside of the homes of sick or elderly people who had to stay indoors. Although I have not been in my hometown for Christmas for many years, I presume people are caroling there these days also. Christmas caroling is a happy time for the carolers who enjoy singing the joyous tunes as well as for those who hear them. Joyful music may be considered a characteristic of the Christian religion and it is especially evident at Christmas time. I hope you have a merry Christmas. -------The University friend with whom, I hitchhiked down to Mexico City had found lodging in a different area of the city but he also attended summer school at the University of Mexico. Following that six-week session, we began our trek back to the state of Illinois in the United States. We did not go directly back, however, because I wanted to visit my eldest sister who lived in Oregon. She lived in the city of Corvallis, where her husband taught biology at Oregon State College. Thus, we returned to Chicago in a very roundabout way. I don't recall how we got from Mexico City to the U.S. border, but since I have no memory of hitchhiking in Mexico, I presume we either got a ride with someone all the way or took a bus. I also have only a few specific recollections of our hitchhiking from Texas through the states of New Mexico, Arizona and California to Oregon and then on to Illinois, which I will mention in subsequent Saturday messages. I had made a commitment before going to Mexico to be the speaker at a Christian young people's meeting being planned by members of my high school class and thus had to be back in my hometown by a definite date so we didn't have time to do much sightseeing along the way. -------The central festival of the Christian Church is not Christmas, which commemorates Jesus' birth, but Easter, which celebrates his resurrection. The date of Easter varies from year, but it is always on a Sunday, the first day of the week. Christmas, celebrated on December 25th, falls on a Sundayon an average of every 6 or 7 years. Today in most Christian churches, the regular "Lord's Day" Worship Service will be a Christmas Service. I presume many preachers will refer to the story of Jesus' birth in the 2nd chapter of the Gospel of Luke, but in the final section of the previous chapter the meaning of that birth is stated by Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. He rejoiced that God had not forgotten his promises to save his people by sending a mighty Saviour. He concluded his hymn with these words: "Our God is merciful and tender. He will cause the bright dawn of salvation to rise on us and to shine from heaven on all those who live in the dark shadow of death, to guide our steps into the path of peace. " In the birth of Jesus, Christian believe that God has shone a divine light into the darkness of human history to grant true joy, peace and hope to those who accept God's gift. I hope you have a joyful and meaningful Christmas. -------The word "box", spelled b-o-x, is derived from a Latin word for an evergreen tree, also called a "box" in English. The fine wood of this tree is called boxwood. Another word spelled and pronounced the same signifies a slap with the hand, especially to the side of the head. Another homonym denotes a rectangular container, a separate compartment in a theater or the area on a baseball diamond where the batter stands. In England, this day after Christmas is called Boxing Day. Can you guess which kind of "box" this day is related to? In bygone days, offering boxes placed in churches were opened on Christmas Day and the contents were distributed the next day to needy members of the parish. Some people continue to give a gift box to faithful employees or postmen on this Boxing Day. -------One meaning of "miracle" is an event that apparently contradicts known scientific laws and is therefore thought to be due to supernatural causes. Another meaning is simply an unusual event which is difficult to believe. Some people say they don't believe in miracles, but strange or inexplicable events may occur even today. The word "miracle" was used earlier this month by rescuers who had been searching for a 6-year-old boy and his 4-year-old sister in the remote mountains of northern Argentina. The children had wandered from the family farm in search of their parents who were delayed in coming home when a mountain cat threatened their herd of cattle. Forty police men searched the mountain area inhabited by pumas, condors, wild boars and deadly snakes for twenty days before the children were found. Because these children were raised in that area, they knew what could be eaten from bushes and which animals are dangerous. The older boy had coaxed his sister to eat wild apples and to drink stream water from his cupped hands. It was the rescuers rather than the children who shed tears of joy when they were found in the remains of a hut about 95 kilometers from their home. Whether or not this was truly a "miracle" depends both on the definition of the word and upon the faith of the speaker. -------Early this month, the sharp eyes of a customs officer at Kennedy International Airport in New York were attracted to an Old English sheepdog which had arrived on a flight from Bogota, Columbia. The dog looked ill and lethargic and had a strange bulge in its belly. A veterinarian was called and performed emergency surgery. What do you suppose was the problem with this poor dog? That strange bulge was caused by ten balloons, each containing several condoms packed with cocaine. When a young man came to claim the dog the following day, he was arrested and charged with attempting to import an illegal drug. Customs agents at American airports have found drugs concealed in many strange places, including human stomachs, but this is the first time they have discovered them in a dog. Another traveler arriving from Colombia was carrying a bowling ball, which an inspector thought strange because he didn't think they had bowling alleys in Colombia. Investigation revealed that the bowling ball also contained cocaine. Hollowed-out picture frames, surfboards and plastic clocks have also been found to contain drugs. Drugs, like words, can be used both for good and ill, to save lives or to destroy them. What effect do our words have on those who hear them? -------In the southwest corner of the American state of South Dakota there is a creek called Wounded Knee. This interesting name is the translation of a Native American term given to that creek because a Native American was once wounded there in the knee. Wounded Knee has become a well-known name in American history as the site of the last major battle between Native Americans (mistakenly called Indians) and the European invaders of the North American continent. Early American history is marked by many conflicts between these two opposing groups as the European settlers moved west. On December 28, 1890, a band of Native Americans were captured along this creek by U.S. government forces. The next day, 104 years ago today, this band was ordered to give up their arms. A medicine man threw some dust into the air. A warrior pulled a gun and wounded an army officer and the U.S. troops opened fire. Within a few minutes almost 200 men, women and children were shot in what has been called the Wounded Knee Massacre. Since that day, armed resistance to superior government forces has been minor, but policies of the lighter-skinned European-Americans toward the darker-skinned Native Americans have left a shameful blot on American history, contradicting the ideals of America's founders. -------On this next to the last day of the year of the dog, I will mention a few facts about dogs which I found interesting. It is not true that dogs sweat with their tongues as some people believe. Dogs do have sweat glands, but the only ones of any importance are on the soles of their feet. Dogs cool themselves by rapid breathing, which is why they pant after running and stick out their tongues to cool them. Animal experts say that a cat is more inclined to watch television than a dog. The reason is that cats rely more on their sense of vision while dogs rely on their sense of smell. In these days when the subject of bullying among students is being discussed in Japan, you are probably aware that a kind of bullying is also evident among groups of animals. It is said that when two dogs meet for the first time, you can tell which is going to be in charge by the way they wag their tails. The dog whose tail wags very slowly as they approach each other will be the boss, not the one whose tail wags very rapidly. Finally, according to a United Nations survey, fewer mailmen, or postmen, in England are bitten by dogs than in any other country. That may mean that British dogs are of a milder temperament or better trained. Does this have any implications for the problem of bullying? -------On this last, busy day of the year, I presume the number of listeners to and readers of this message will be less than usual. Nevertheless, I will continue my Saturday message series related to my hitchhiking trip to and from Mexico in the summer of 1946. Most of the drivers who stopped to give my friend and me a ride were by themselves. Their purpose may have been to gain some companionship for themselves as well as to help us along our way. In most cases, the length of the ride was comparatively short -- less than a hundred miles. The longest ride we got was on our way from Texas to Oregon. Somewhere in New Mexico or Arizona, a large car stopped for us that already had three people in it, but they made room for the two of us and our suitcases as well. They were also male university students going to California. We rode with them for over three hundred miles. In order to save time, they took turns driving while the others slept. What was amazing to me was that they let my friend and me take our turns at the wheel even through the night and even though we were complete strangers. That was long ago and times have changed. I am sure that in the United States at the present time, drivers are much more reluctant to pick up hitchhikers and would be much less apt to trust them so easily. -------Happy New Year! This firstday of a new year is called ganjitsu or gantan in Japanese. Gan indicates the beginning, origin or first element of something. Jitsu means "day" and if a line is drawn under the character for "day" or "sun" we get the character for tan, or "early morning". The only other Japanese word in which I recall seeing this character is danna, meaning "master" or husband" -- which are not necessarily the same. This brings me to the point of my message on this first day of the New Year. It is a good time to consider who is our real master, who will we choose to be our master in this year. There are many alternatives. It may be our husband or wife, a parent or our family. It may be a company or organization or seken-sama. The question of who is one's real master is related to the problem of ijime, which occurs not only among students but throughout Japanese society. On this gantan, let us decide who will be our "first danna" during this year. When Jesus was asked which was the greatest commandment in the Law, he replied that to "love the Lord your God with all your heart... is the greatest and most important commandment" in Matthew 22:37. The Bible teaches that God, our Creator, is our Lord and true happiness is found in following the Lord's will. -------In Oriental thought, this is a year of the inoshishi. The Chinese character for inoshishi is composed of the radical meaning "dog" or "beast" and a character meaning "person". Literally, therefore, an inoshishi is a person-animal. In English, an inoshishi is called a boar, spelled b-o-a-r, but if we call a person a bor, we would spell it b-o-r-e. This kind of bore is a person who wearies people with uninteresting or repetitious talk. According to Lisa Kirk, "A gossip is one who talks to you about others; a bore is one who talks to you about himself; and a brilliant conversationalist is one who talks to you about yourself." Reading this statement, I realize that my personal comments added at the end of my printed messages must be boring indeed, but they do give an opportunity to hear a bit more English and to know a little bit about one foreigner's life in Japan. -------There are many traditional Japanese customs connected with these first days of a new year. I'm not sure how many of them are kept by Japanese people today, but according to a reference book and a dictionary, this third day of the New Year is the day to eat a "teeth-hardening" ('ha-gatame') meal. Did you know that? Are you following that tradition in your meals today? The reference books indicate that, along with 'kagami-mochi', chestnuts and beans, 'inoshishi' is also eaten to harden the teeth and to pray for a long life, since a character for "age", 'yowai', includes the character for "tooth". Although I do not remember having eaten the meat of an 'inoshishi', it seems that the meat is considered hard or tough. Having heard or read of the vicious character of boars, I am not surprised at that. But I am surprised that another, poetic name for a boar in Japanese is 'yamatachi-hime', which, of course, signifies a princess. That doesn't seem to fit with the wild nature of that wild pig. Regarding the eating of boar meat, it may be noted that there are scholars who maintain that it was the eating of such meat that caused the death of the Buddha, so you should be careful of the food you choose to harden your teeth. -------It was 98 years ago today, on January 4, 1896, that the state of Utah was officially admitted to the United States of America. The name of this state comes from a Native American word meaning "people of the mountains". The state has an interesting history. It was settled about fifty years earlier by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as Mormons. Following the persecution which forced them to move repeatedly from New York, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri, they arrived in the barren land around the Great Salt Lake where they laid out a new city. Their leader, Brigham Young, claimed a far-flung empire that included the present states of Utah and Nevada and parts of all seven of the surrounding states. His early petitions for statehood were turned down, however, on the basis of the Mormon practice of polygamy, whereby one man may have many wives. This practice was introduced by the church's founder, Joseph Smith. It was not until the Church affirmed her willingness to abide by the antipolygamy laws which had been enacted by the U. S. Congress, that its admission as the 45th state was approved. The nickname of this state, Beehive State, may imply the busyness of its inhabitants, a trait that also characterizes many Japanese. -------In an alphabetical list of the fifty states of the United States of America, do you know which state comes last? It is a Western state and is one of the two states that are perfectly rectangular in shape. It is not only last in the alphabetical listing; it also ranks last in the total population of a state. Nevertheless, it ranks first in at least one important area. Its nickname is "Equality State". The state motto, which was adopted in 1955, is "Equal Rights" and it has been at the forefront of the movement to recognize the rights of women. Even before it became a state, when it was organized as a territory in 1869, it was the first area in the United States where women were permitted to vote. Sixty-nine years ago today, on January 5, 1925, the first woman governor of an American state was inaugurated in that state. After the death of her husband, who was the governor, Nellie Ross was elected to serve for the rest of his term. She later became the first woman director of the U.S. Mint. The name of that "Equality State" is Wyoming. An important doctrine of Christianity is that all people are equal in the sight of God. Unfortunately, among human beings, not all people are considered equal nor given equal rights. -------On January 6, 1941, 53 years ago today, almost a year before the United States declared war against Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy and imperialistic Japan, American President Franklin Roosevelt made a memorable speech to Congress in which he stated four freedoms which served as a rallying point for the nation in opposition to the ideology of the Axis powers. The central portion of his speech was as follows: "In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression--everywhere in the world. The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way--everywhere in the world. The third is freedom from want--which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants--everywhere in the world. The fourth is freedom from fear--which, translated into world terms, means a worldwide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor--anywhere in the world." These four freedoms are ideals which are still relevant and worthy of consideration today. -------Hitchhiking from Mexico through California to Oregon on our way back to Chicago, we passed through some very beautiful scenic areas and went by some historically important sites, but we did not take time to go sightseeing because neither time nor finances permitted. Sometimes we took naps in the cars as we rode along or by the side of the road. When we arrived at my sister's home in Oregon, however, we enjoyed sleeping in a comfortable bed and having a few good meals. Since I had to be back in Illinois by a certain date, we could not remain long at her home, but during our short stay, we did visit the state college where her husband taught. We also went for a drive for about 60 kilometers to the west. What do you suppose we saw there? For the first time in my life, I saw an ocean. Having been born and raised in the midwest, I had often gone swimming in fresh water lakes, but I had never seen an ocean. Along the coastline, seals were sunning themselves or swimming around the large rocks protruding from the water. The second time I stopped at my sister's home in Corvallis, was with my wife as we headed for San Francisco and on to Japan as missionaries five years later. On that occasion, we not only got a glimpse of the Pacific Ocean. We pitched and tossed on it for almost two weeks. -------The longest book in the Bible is the Old Testament book which contains 150 poems or sacred songs called psalms. Many of these songs were used by the ancient Jews in their worship rituals. Many different kinds of poems are included in this book: poems reflecting joy and sorrow, confessions of sins, petitions for blessing, curses upon wicked people and questions regarding obvious injustice in the world. But a predominant element is that of thanksgiving and praise to God. The final, 150th psalm begins and ends with the Hebrew word hallelujah, which literally means "praise ye Yahweh", or "praise the Lord". The Psalm indicates where God is to be praised why he is to be praised, how he is to be praised and who is to praise him. He is to be praised both on earth and in heaven. He is to be praised for the mighty things he has done for his extreme greatness. He should be praised by all living creatures and there are eight differrent kinds of ancient musical instruments noted which may be used in praising him. This Psalm was read last Sunday at our New Year's Day Worship Service and the congregation was urged to make this New Year a year of thanksgiving and praise to God for his goodness and greatness. -------In Japanese, hyo is used for both a leopard and a panther, although we usually think of a leopard having tan skin with black spots and a panther as completely black. The word "leopard" is rooted in Greek words meaning "lion" and "panther". In fact, "pard" is an old English word for "panther". It was once thought that leopards were a hybrid between a lion and a panther, but actually they are a separate species. From the Old Testament book of Jeremiah 13:23, a common English proverb about leopards was derived. The proverb that "The leopard cannot change its spots" means that a person cannot change his/her character. The Bible teaches that only with the help of God's Spirit can a bad man become good. In his talk with Nicodemus in the third chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus referred to this great change as being "born again" or being "born from above". -------This "Daily Word" telephone service, begun on September 1st, 1980, is now in its 15th year of transmission. It was preceded by a Japanese-language telephone service I had begun at the beginning of the previous year from our church in the city of Takahama, outside of Nagoya. That telephone service, from number 0566-52-2732 is called 'Kyo no Messeji'. It transmits a religious message which includes a verse from the Bible everyday. A couple of years ago, a couple of ladies who live in Nagoya and who often called both "Daily Word" and 'Kyo no Messeji' suggested to the Takahama Church officers that the messages be printed and published for people to read and promised financial support for that project. The church officers made copies of my original manuscripts and distributed them among four groups of church members who chose from among them an appropriate message for every day of the year. That book of messages was recently published by the 'Kirisuto Shinbunsha' in Tokyo under the title: 'Kokoro no Sanpo-michi'. The ¥1900 book is available at Christian bookstores and may be ordered through any local bookstore. I will plan to bring a few copies to the meeting of "Daily Word" fans on January 29th. -------The names by which people are identified are usually divided into family names, or surnames, and given names, or personal names. The "sur" of "surname" comes from the Latin word "super" meaning over or above so a surname is, literally, a name over or above the given name. In Japan, family names were added to personal names of common people only after the Meiji Restoration. In the West, surnames became increasingly used from the 13th century onwards. Often the surname was chosen from one's place of residence, occupation or family relationship, but today, many of us do not know the meaning of nor the reason for our surnames. According to a recent new article, the postmaster of Scotch Plains, New Jersey, a suburb of New York City, has the unusual given name of Elvoid. But he has the more interesting surname of Christmas. Many people enjoying greeting him in mid-December with the greeting "Merry Christmas, Mr. Christmas". He stated that some people who call the post office with a complaint change their attitude when they hear his name. Regarding his wife, Mr. Christmas said: "I think that's why she fell in love with me when we were dating. Her name was Mellie and she liked the name Mellie Christmas." Can you catch the distinction between "Mellie" and "Merry"? -------In an English language dictionary, you may be surprised to find a number of names listed beginning with John, including John Barleycorn, John Bull, John Doe and John Hancock. The first two are personifications of alcoholic beverages and England, respectively. The third is used in legal proceedings to designate an unidentified person. Only the last name is of a historical figure. It is used informally to mean a person's signature. This usage comes from the fact that the first signature on the original American Declaration of Independence was that of John Hancock, the president of the Continental Congress. His signature is written in much larger letters than those of the 55 other men who eventually signed that historic document. John Hancock was born 258 years ago today, on January 12, 1737. He became a businessman and strongly opposed the trade restrictions imposed by the British government. He tried not to let his emotions control his business, however, for he wrote: "The greatest ability in business is to get along with others and influence their actions. A chip on the shoulder is too heavy a piece of baggage to carry through life." "Chip on the shoulder" means a persistent feeling of resentment or bitterness. -------Today is Friday the 13th. Do you know what that means? For one thing, it means that the first day of this month fell on a Sunday, for whenever that happens, the 13th always falls on a Friday. For another thing, it means that there are five Sundays in this month. And do you know what that means? One thing it means is that there will be a meeting of "Dailly Word" fans this month, since it is our custom hold such meetings on the fifth Sundays of a month. Our meeting on January 29th will begin as usual at 1:30, but the meeting place will be changed. We will meet on the 8th floor of the Aichi Ken Chusho-kigyo Senta-, located just east of the Mainichi Building in front of the JR Nagoya Station's Sakuradori exit. The subject for discussion at that meeting will be "Bullying", or 'ijime' in Japan, which is being discussed by many people these days. Of course, there is another widespread traditional meaning of Friday the 13th. Superstitious people in the West consider it an unlucky day--because Jesus was said to have been crucified on a Friday and there were thirteen persons present at his Last Supper with his 12 disciples. People with a healthy faith, however, do not worry about supertitions. Christians, who believe that their fate is in the hands of a loving heavenly Father, are not concerned about such bad omens as black cats, broken mirrors of Friday the 13th. -------The most frightening experience during our hitchhiking trip to and from Mexico City in 1946 occurred on the way from Oregon to Illinois. We were going through the state of Idaho late at night. We were standing on the side of the road facing the cars going east with our arms and thumbs sticking out soliciting rides with our suitcase beside us. It was an unpopulated area, but there was a gas station a little further down the road. There were not many cars on that road at that time of night and we were tired. When I happened to look in the opposite direction, I saw a car heading directly for us on the wrong side of the road. I yelled to my friend and we jumped out of the way. The car ran over our suitcase, however, and dragged them along until it stopped. We ran to the car. The driver got out and asked why our suitcase were in the middle of the road. We explained that they were on the opposite side of the road so the man realized he must have been dozing. He gave us a $10 bill and went on his way. We gathered up our broken suitcase and the contents that had been scattered, took them to the gas station and told the attendant what had happened. My friend's old suitcase was unusable, so he was given a cardboard box instead. I was given some rope to bind up my newer suitcase and we continued on our way, thankful it was only our suitcases that had been hit. -------Today is Sunday, the first day of the week. For Christians, the first day of every week is celebrated as the Lord's Day, in commemoration of the resurrection of their Lord, Jesus Christ, on that day. This weekly holiday is also observed even in Japan, but when a Japanese national holiday falls on this holy day, the following day is observed as a substitute holiday. On this Coming-of-Age Day, or Adults Day, it is well to consider how mature each one of us is -- not physically, but mentally and spiritually. In the 3rd chapter of his First Letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul expressed his disappointment at the lack of progress these believers had made in their Christian life. He wrote that he could not feed them the solid food suitable for spiritually mature Christians. He had to give them only milk because they were still spiritually babies. The evidence of their spiritual immaturity was evident in the jealous and quarrelsome attitudes they manifested. People with a healthy faith will continue to grow and mature throughout their lives. The sign of spiritual maturity is a humble heart and a deeper and broader love for all people as the Apostle indicated in the 13th chapter of that letter. -------Today is a holiday in both Japan and the United States. In both cases, the real day of celebration should be January 15th, which is Seijin no Hi in Japan and the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. in the United States. The well-known civil rights leader was born on January 15, 1929, but when Congress established a holiday in his honor, it designated the third Monday of January as the day "to reflect on the principles of racial equality and non-violent social change". Hopefully, the young people who officially became adults yesterday will also reflect on these principles which are increasingly important in Japanese society these days. As you may know, the word "holiday" comes from the words "holy day", but the present time few people would consider a holiday as a holy day. In a deeper sense, however, sincere believers will consider every day sacred. -------Anton Chekhov, the Russian writer who is famous for his short stories and drams, was born 135 years ago today, on January 17, 1860. He was the son of a grocer and the grandson of a serf. He had begun to write before entering the University of Moscow to study medicine and continued writing popular short stories while studying in order to support himself and his family. Although he did become a physician, he is better known for his writing ability than his medical expertise. His stories are concerned with human folly and the boredom of the commonplace, but he was an active humanitarian and 'The Island of Sakhalin', in which he wrote about the lives of convicts on that now disputed piece of land, helped to effect social reform. In his last great work, 'The Cherry Orchard', when Trofimov is asked, "Are you still a student?" his reply is: "I expect I shall be a student to the end of my days." Family members may be upset if a son, husband or father remains a student in a school for an unusually long time, but in one sense, it is good to consider oneself a student throughout one's life, for there is always more to learn and we should be willing to accept and pursue new truth. Literally, a scholar is also a student. -------Are you acquainted with the word "thesaurus", spelled t-h-e-s-a-u-r-u-s? It comes from a Latin word meaning "collection", which is rooted in a Greek word for "treasure". One kind of thesaurus is a book of synonyms. I sometimes use a thesaurus when composing these messages and more often when I correct essays submitted for '"Daily Word" Echoes' to find a more appropriate word for an awkward, imprecise or incorrect term. The man who wrote what has become the famous 'Roget's Thesaurus' was born 216 years ago today, on January 18, 1779. Peter Mark Roget, an eminent English physician, spent fifty years compiling a list of words organized by their meanings as an avocation. It was after his retirement that, in 1852, he published the first edition of 'Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases Classified and Arranged so as to Facilitate the Expression of Ideas and Assist in Literary Composition'. During his lifetime, the work had 28 printings and after his death, it was revised and expanded by his son and grandson. The book I use is titled 'Roget's International Thesaurus'. On the afternoon of Sunday, January 29th, we will hold a meeting of "Daily Word" fans. Details will be included in next weeks' messages. -------95/01/19(Thu) A Diamond in a Hamburger (4789) A recent news item related an interesting experience of Oskar Keysell, a 31-year-old man who lives in London. Last month, Oskar bought a hamburger at a McDonald's fast food restaurant. Biting into it, he found something besides meat--something hard. Examining this foreign object, he discovered it was a gold earring with a small diamond in it. What should he do about this? Say nothing and keep it? Throw it away? Complain to the mananger? He chose a kind of middle course. He did not throw it away. He showed the gold earring stud to the manager and received a free hamburger as compensation for the inconvenience it caused him. A check with the restaurant's employees showed that no one was wearing jewelry, which is against McDonald's rules. Oskar kept the diamond, however, and took it to a jeweler who told him it was worth £1000, or $1500. The newspaper reported that he was not sure whether to sell it or to have it made into a ring for his girlfriend. This story reminded me of Jesus' parable in Matthew 13:44 about a man who happened to find a treasure hidden in a field. The man then sold everything he had in order to buy that field. This parable teaches that when we find something truly valuable, such as divine salvation we are willing to sacrifice all that we have to obtain it. -------A disabled person is one whose physical or mental abilities are unsound. Such people find it difficult to live a satisfying life in normal society. Of more than 4.4 million disabled people in Japan, including 390,000 who are mentally disabled, about 241,000 are working at private companies and government organizations. The Tokyo Coco Farm and Winery Company in Tochigi Prefecture offers mentally disabled people a chance to work in its vineyards, winery and mushroom cultivation forest and to become shareholders besides. Thirteen of its twenty shareholders are mentally disabled. The farm provides employment for 90 boarders at a nearby institution for the mentally disabled, whose ages range from 18 to 72. Coco Farm produces 150,000 bottles of wine a year. Some of the work is very boring and repetitive, but it is challenging for them and they seem to find it physically and mentally as well as financially rewarding and during the harvest, 12- to 14-hour days are common. Jobs include clearing the vineyard, digging the soil, banging on empty cans to scare away crows, wrapping grapes on the vines to protect them from insects, crushing them for wine, cleaning, stacking and labelling bottles, etc. The attitude of those with sound minds and bodies toward the disabled and others who are "different" is a concrete manifestation of inner character or faith. -------As I look back on our return trip, hitchhiking from Mexico City to Chicago by way of Oregon almost fifty years ago, I don't recall any memorable incident that occurred following the accident in Idaho until we arrived back in Illinois. After going through the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming, the highway through the plain states of Nebraska and Iowa sometimes ran straight for hundreds of kilometers without a curve. I had promised to be the speaker at a Youth for Christ meeting planned by members of my high school class in my hometown north of Chicago on a certain Saturday. Since the committee members knew I was hitchhiking and could not give them a definite time of arrival, they were worried about whether or not I would arrive in time and in a healthy condition although I had assured them I would. I arrived home on Thursday morning and was asleep when a committee member called that day to ask about my whereabouts. During that summer trip to Mexico following my first year in university, I hitchhiked about 11,000 kilometers, entered a foreign country, saw an ocean and mountains for the first time in my life. I also met interesting people along the way. It was a thrilling, broadening experience and I'm sorry that a diary I kept of that trip has been lost. -------Prayer is an element in all religions. The particular nature of prayer -- its form, content, purpose and place where it is offered -- differs according to the religion, but the natural human tendency to seek divine aid in some way is encouraged by religious teachings. Jesus gave important teaching on prayer in his Sermon on the Mount. In the 6th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, he cautioned his disciples against considering prayer a means of advertising one's piety. He advised them not to be like the hypocrites who pray in public places to be seen by people. He urged them to pray in private to the unseen God. He also told them not to simply repeat fixed formulas as was and is the practice in some religions. Their prayers should be characterized by a personal relationship with their heavenly Father. In the Bible, prayer is not limited to petitions or requests. It is a time of person-to-person communion with God and includes praise, thanksgiving, confession, intercession and dedication as well as petition. During our private prayers, we should also spend time in quietness with our minds and hearts open to whatever response may come from God. -------Do you know how to spell a four-letter word pronounced dooul? There are two possibilities, two different words with different meanings. The word spelled d-u-a-l, rooted in a Latin word for "two", denotes something com-posed of two parts. But the word spelled d-u-e-l, signifies a fight between two persons. In this case, the word is related to the Latin word for "war". In Christian theology, we speak of the dual nature of Jesus Christ, who was both God and man. The Old Testament book of I Samuel, chapter 17, contains the story of the famous duel between a young Jewish shepherd boy, David, and a huge Philistine warrior, Goliath. In this story, there is a contrast, not only in regard to the size of the two opponents, but in regard to their character as well. Despite Goliath's superiority in respect to size, arms and military experience, David's simple faith in God brought him the victory. -------The English playwright, William Congreve, wrote the famous lines that "Music has charms to soothe a savage breast". The charm of music is not limited to savage breasts, however. To discover the probable effect music would have on surgeons if it were played during an operation, the State University of New York at Buffalo conducted a study on fifty male surgeons who were given stressful math tests accompanied by music they had chosen, tunes which others had chosen for them and without musical accompaniment. It was found that the blood pressure and pulse rate of the surgeons were definitely affected by the music. Their speed and accuracy in performing tasks in the test were "significantly better" when music was played than when it was not, and the calming effect was most pronounced when the music was chosen by the doctor himself. It may be that music in hospital operating rooms may stimulate more successful operations. A meeting of listeners to / readers of these messages will be held on Sunday afternoon, January 29th, at 1:30 at the Aichi Ken Chusho-Kigyo Senta-, east of the Mainichi Building in front of the east exit of Nagoya Station. You are invited to attend and to share your ideas regarding bullying. My wife and I will be happy to meet you there. -------Anyone who tries to communicate effectively in a foreign language knows the difficulty of finding appropriate expressions to make subtle distinctions. Sometimes the nuances of different terms in one's native tongue cannot be clearly transferred to the foreign language with its different tradition. This is particularly evident when a person tries to be humorous or make a joke in the foreign language. In this case, it is not only the words but the different culture and manner of thinking that makes it difficult. Interpreters are sometimes baffled when the speaker suddenly cracks a joke or tells a humorous story which cannot be literally translated. In an essay entitled "On Not Knowing Greek", the famous English novelist, Virginia Woolf, who was born 113 years ago today in 1882, wrote: "Humour is the first of the gifts to perish in a foreign tongue." At times, a tinge of humor finds its way into these daily messages, but it may take a perceptive mind to recognize it. At the meeting of "Daily Word" fans on this coming Sunday afternoon, we will talk about "bullying". You are invited to attend. The meeting begins at 1:30 at the Aichi Ken Chusho-Kigyo Senta-, east of the Mainichi Building in front of the Sakuradori exit of Nagoya Station. -------The man who became commander of the allied occupation forces in Japan following the end of the Pacific War, General Douglas MacArthur, was born 115 years ago today, on January 26, 1880, in the American city of Little Rock, the capital of Arkansas. His father, Arthur MacArthur, was an army officer who served for a time as military governor of the Philippines. Douglas graduated first in his class of 93 students at the West Point Military Academy in 1903 and, as a brigadier general, caused a sensation by insisting on going into battle with his men in Europe during the First World War. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, he was the commander of U.S. Army Forces in the Far East and although he and his troops were forced to leave the Philippines, he vowed to return, which he did less than three years later. He was a central figure in supervising the reconstruction of Japan and establishing a democratic form of government. General MacArthur once remarked: "There are no atheists in foxholes." You are invited to attend the meeting of listeners to/readers of these "Daily Word" messages on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 at the Aichi Ken Chusho-Kigyo Senta-, east of the Mainichi Building in front of Nagoya Station's Sakuradori exit. -------Do you know who "Uncle Sam" is? He is a symbol of the people and the federal government of the United States in particular. The story behind this symbol is as follows. During the War of 1812, Samuel Wilson, an honest, hardworking, self-made man who ran a meat-packing business in Troy, New York, won a contract to supply meat to the U.S. Army. When New York Governor Tompkins toured Wilson's plant in October 1812, he noticed the barrels of meat to be shipped to the army bore the letters EA-US and asked what the letters meant. The EA stood for Elbert Anderson, the contractor for whom Wilson worked, and the US was an abbreviation for the United States, but a workman joked that it really stood for "Uncle Sam" Wilson. The story spread and by the end of the war, two years later, "Uncle Sam" had become a national symbol. A meeting of listeners to/ readers of these "Daily Word" messages will be held on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 at the Aichi Ken Chusho-Kigyo Senta-, east of the Mainichi Building in front of Nagoya Station's Sauradori exit. You are invited to attend and to share your ideas on bullying. -------In 1946, during the summer vacation after my first year at university, I hitchhiked to Mexico with a friend. Following my return, I worked for the rest of the summer as a laborer for a construction company. When the fall term began, I hitchhiked to the university, some 260 kilometers away. During that sophomore year I made my second visit to a foreign country. This time I crossed the northern border of the United States into Canada. The occasion was a conference of Christian university students interested in foreign missionary service. I had begun to think seriously about that possibility as a result of my experience in Mexico and I joined a carload of fellow students from my university to attend that conference in Toronto. We took turns driving a car from Chicago on the day after Christmas and began the new year in Canada. At that conference, I was happy to meet a Mexican student I had met the summer before. As I listened to the conference speakers and participated in discussions, my plans for the future became clearer. -------Ministers or clergymen of certain religious groups are called priests. In Japan, there are Shinto priests and Buddhist priests, Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic priests. In most Protestant churches, however, ministers are usually called pastors instead of priests. Priests offer sacrifices, perform rituals and serve as mediators between God and human beings. Pastors are shepherds of a flock, ministers of a particular congregation. In Protestant thought, Jesus Christ is the one and only mediator between God and people. In the Old Testament, sacrifices of animals were offered daily to atone for people's sins but in the New Testament Letter to the Hebrews, the priesthood and sacrifice of Christ is contrasted with that of Old Testament priests and sacrifices. In chapter 10 it is noted that the sacrifices offered by Jewish priests cannot take away sins, but the one sacrifice offered by Christ (which was the sacrifice of himself) is effective for ever. Therefore, no further ceremonial sacrifices are needed, but we are told in Romans, chapter 12, verse 1, to offer ourselves as living sacrifices to God. ------- |